Last year my birthday fell on Thanksgiving Day. It was great because I could tell myself that the whole country gathered around the table to celebrate . . . me! My wife, Tamica, after ignoring my over-inflated sense of self-importance, presented me with a birthday gift. It was awesome too: a pair of Express jeans! They had the dark-rinse look I wanted too. They were almost perfect. But the waist was too small — maybe it was all that Thanksgiving food. They didn’t fit. They were made for a smaller guy.
The next day, I fought crazed shoppers scavenging for Black Friday deals to get a different size. I found another pair, tried them on in the dressing room and then made the exchange.
That scenario reminded me of a passage I’ve been meditating on recently. In it, the Apostle Paul tells the Colossians to put off their old sinful nature characterized by greed, sexual immorality, and anger. But then he also tells them to put on some things.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (Colossians 3:12-14, emphasis mine.)
Paul explained that their old sinful nature no longer fit them. It wasn’t designed for them. Their new nature, by contrast, was tailor made for them. As a result they are to “clothe” themselves with “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” The new fashion they sport has a unique signature. I call it the “One Another Look.” According to Colossians 3, the new nature causes them to bear with one another, forgive one another and admonish one another. These are just a few of the many “one another” outfits that we are told to wear throughout the New Testament.
Sadly, in our society, Christians are not often associated with these fashionable expressions. It hurts our witness, and doesn’t demonstrate the beauty of the gospel well, either. Too often in my own life, I find myself putting on anger instead of patience, and judgment instead of compassion. I need to go back to the dressing room and try on something else because those old clothes don’t fit anymore.
Check out Colossians 3 for yourself. Look at the list. What do you need to put off? What ‘clothes’ do you need to put on? Is it humility headwear? What about forgiveness footwear? These fashion trends never go out of style and are always flattering to our figure. They also are amazing gifts to share with others.
The Express jeans I received in exchange for the first pair were the perfect fit. I really like wearing them. Make sure that wherever you go, you show up with the right look too – inside and out!
* Photo courtesy of terodactila (Flickr Creative Commons).
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